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10 Dec 2016 2:42:36am

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Holly, I have no doubt that God is holding you in the palm of is hand. I have a story which gives me great comfort, from another tradition:Monkey was full of self-confidence, and proclaimed himself 'the great sage of the universe'. One of his companions challenged him to fly to the edge of the universe, and write his name on one of the four pillars that stood there. So Monkey flew to the edge of the universe - having many adventures and trials along the way, and when he got to the edge, he wrote his name on not one, but all four of the pillars. When he returned from his journey, he encountered the Buddha. Buddha picked him up in her hand, and there, inscribed on the base of each of the fingers, was the word 'Monkey' His journey had never taken him off the hand of God.I was raised in the Presbyterian tradition, by a family who were not Presbyterians themselves. (A long story) My Grandmother (a devout Anglican)taught me to read, before I began school, by reading to me from King James' Bible, and the Book of Common Prayer. I went with her to early eucharist every Sunday, and then with the rest of the home-family to Presbyterian divine service and sunday school. I continued with Presbyterianism, even being invited to train to join its ministry. I learned along the way that one must draw from many traditions to find one's comfortable place on God's hand; and I only briefly served the church as a pastor, and that was within the Anglican church.You are absolutely right about everything we have ever learnt stays with us. But some of what we have learnt should be taken on advisement, and some of it should be rejected. I no longer hold that the Presbyterian church is the only true church, founded when God spoke out of the burning bush. Few Presbyterians would.In January of this year I went through a sudden 'dark night of the soul'. I found myself without a job, without money, few friends left, and no security of a place to live. My 'enthusiasms' helped, and are helping me through this rotten time. I have found great comfort in the corporate worship of the church community. Heretofore I thought those folk who went to church daily were tragic enthusiasts; now I find myself amongst them every day, and oh how I the better for it.I may have read, or been exposed to, the KJB for all of my 57 years, I may have immersed myself in the study of church history, but I know very little about how God works through his people. These five months have shown mt that for too long I have striven to be Martha - now may be my time to be Mary. Luke 10, 38-42.My spiritual advisor at present is a retired nun whom I have conversations with weekly. A second advisor is a Methtodist minister, who died many years ago. Frank Thompson created a chain-reference Bible with all sorts of helps, that I highly reccommend. Expensive, but worth every mite, and it feels really good in one's hands.The moderator of these posts must be feeling very dubious